Villages lands 4 basketball players, possible FHSAA scrutiny

We can count on the front end of a school year to give us conversation-starting news about transfers.

The buzz bouncing around boys basketball circles is the roster renovation at Villages, a charter school that serves families employed by the Villages and its business partners. The Gainesville Sun reported that four Alachua County players — three from Class 6A state semifinalist Gainesville — have crossed two county lines to enroll at Villages.

The Gainesville-based Florida High School Athletic Association had not notified Villages of an investigation as of Wednesday morning, but this has to be on the FHSAA radar.

Isaiah Jackson, a 6-foot-6 senior who averaged 16 points and 7.7 rebounds last season, and 6-5 junior Eric Turner were GHS standouts. A third player in the story, Ed Porter, is a 6-6 junior who averaged 19.9 points and 9.9 rebounds for 1A state semifinalist Hawthorne.

Complaints have been registered because Jackson and Turner played with two Villages players on a Florida Elite summer team.

Phone and email messages left Monday for Villages coach Dave Krakoff were not returned as of Wednesday afternoon.

Villages, a 1A district champ last season, is now in 4A, where Lake Highland Prep is the reigning state champion.

Ringing in title

Lake Brantley will present commemorative rings to members of its 2013 state championship baseball team at halftime of Friday's 7:30 p.m. home football opener vs. Hagerty.

Eleven players from the title team still attend Brantley, and 14 of 19 are expected for the ceremony.

Graduates Damon Haecker (Auburn) and Zach Krider (South Carolina-Upstate) are immersed in college and aren't able to make it. Three top returners, Carl Chester, Logan Warmoth and Tate Blackman will be in New York participating in the New York Mets' Metropolitan Baseball Classic.

SVG back for FABC

Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy again will headline an impressive speaker list for the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches Fall Basketball Coaches Clinic on Sept. 7 at Seminole High School. The college lineup includes South Carolina men's coach Frank Martin, UF women's coach Amanda Butler and Tim Ryan of men's junior-college national champ College of Central Florida (Ocala). Girls high-school coaches on the list are Marcia Pinder of Fort Lauderdale Dillard, Anthony Jones of Dr. Phillips and Cindy Richardson of Colonial. Wekiva boys basketball boss Scott Williams will round out the panel.

Non-members can attend with a $20 clinic fee that includes FABC membership. RSVP to Seminole coach Bob Traina, betraina@yahoo.com.

"I know this: Brandon is working his tail off to try to get himself ready," Bears coach Marc Trestman said in a Chicago Tribune story Wednesday. "He's a highly competitive player, an elite player."

Extra points

Olympia basketball has gained 6-foot-9 center Lucas Vojak, a senior who moved to Orlando from California. He led Nevada Union High in points and rebounds and made the All-Sierra Foothill League team as a junior. . . .

Nothing has changed in Daytona Beach Mainland's plan to hold transfer running back Tre Rodriguez out until he goes back to an FHSAA appeals committee seeking eligibility on Sept. 11. He'll miss games vs. DeLand and Port Orange Spruce Creek. . . .

Miami Booker T. Washington, ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today, opened its football season with a 55-0 road thrashing of Georgia big-school champ Norcross, which brought back 16 starters from a 15-0 season.